The Chinese military is weighing the regular use of unmanned aircraft to monitor the East China Sea, a move that may exacerbate tensions with Japan over the Senkaku Islands, a Chinese document on Beijing's use of drones showed Friday.
The document, compiled in October, suggested the need for drones operated by the People's Liberation Army, noting that patrols of the area by Chinese ships aren't enough to protect Chinese interests.
After Japan's effective nationalization of the Senkakus a few years ago, Chinese planes and vessels have been surveilling the uninhabited islets with greater frequency to assert Beijing's claim to sovereignty over them. The islets are administered by Japan but also claimed by nearby Taiwan.